In 2022, Conservation Nation funded Dr. Dawn Zimmerman’s project with the Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife (VIEW) and the Institute of Primate Research (IPR) to establish wildlife health and conservation clubs in primary schools for Samburu children living in Matthews Range in Kenya. In the fall, the three organizations joined forces to conduct three separate workshops. Their goals were to enhance awareness of the threats to Percival’s guereza and De Brazza’s monkeys, to inspire the protection of endemic and endangered wildlife species in Matthews Range, and to provide a platform to elevate local communities. In turn, the workshops examined the role of women and children in sustainable conservation efforts, methods for shifting the boundary between community engagement and community collaboration, and ways to break down barriers to girl-child education by offering the underrepresented Samburu girls mentorship and opportunities toward professional careers in conservation. 

One specific factor inspired the need for these workshops: while IPR ensures that local people conduct most of the area’s monkey monitoring, they are all men. Women and children have never been actively involved in these efforts—even though they play a crucial role in inspiring the community to protect local primates and biodiversity. Dr. Dawn Zimmerman, along with her mentee Dr. Lauren Ellis, recently contributed to a report by colleague Dr. Danson Mwangi with details about the workshops and other programs created under the joint project.

Oromoidei and Noolotoro Joint Community Workshops

After a word of prayer from a community elder, the workshop began with approximately ninety people from the Oromoidei and Noolotoro communities in attendance. Dr. Mwangi served as the team leader, with Dr. Ellis joining him from VIEW to serve as a representative for Dr. Zimmerman to gain “on-the-ground” experience. The first speaker of the day, Dr. Stanislaus Kivai, Head of Conservation, IPR, engaged the participants in a conversation about the six primate species found in the nearby Matthews Range and the importance of wildlife and forest ecosystems. The attendees discussed how forests are essential for providing products and services to people and further categorized which elements benefit men, women, or both.

Dr. Mwangi was the second speaker of the day. He and the participants discussed the causes of the recent forest cover decline in Matthews Range and what they could do to mitigate the situation. Topics included how the lack of water and seedlings limits tree planting opportunities, overharvesting trees for animal feed and firewood, and forest fires caused by honey harvesting. As solutions, Dr. Mwangi offered that the community should serve as custodians of the forest to protect biodiversity by avoiding cutting down trees when collecting leaves to feed their animals and ensuring that honey harvesters properly extinguish their fires.

Kimani Ndung’u, Research Affiliate at the Mpala Research Centre, led the next discussion about One Health—an approach that examines the interconnectedness between people, animals, and our environment and how to achieve optimal well-being for all. The participants described some of their strongly-held convictions (both accurate and inaccurate) about how human-animal interactions could have negative health consequences.

Ms. Dorothy, a Samburu community member and employee of the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary (i.e., Reteti), and Ms. Wamuyu, a lecturer at Laikipia University, moderated the community workshop’s final discussion. They engaged the participants in a conversation about the importance of encouraging women to follow careers in conservation and the value of educating young girls. Ms. Dorothy further explained how many conservation organizations have employment opportunities for women and pointed out how girls involved in the workforce can bring economic stability to their families and communities.